Did I do the right thing? Stay onsite or offsite?

[NCTWINSMOM]

This is our first trip to WDW and heard to stay onsite so I booked at ASMO. I then started looking at offsite condos with so much room and space and my question is for those of you that have stayed onsite and offsite which is better how did your budget differ if you switched locations (sleeping arrangements)? How are the shuttle rides from condos comparable to Disney shuttles? Or is it better to drive and pay to park at Disney?

Is the price better to stay offsite and cook your meals and do the occassional restaurant at Disney or is onsite and the DP the only way to go?

Thanks in advance!

 

[califred]

We've done both.

Our first trip was with 21 people, so we rented 2 5 bedroom houses down the road, and cooked very few of our meals there. We did cook a few times and it was nice to have breakfast and our own pools. For a group that size we would definitely do that again.

Then we went back and stayed 1/2 at the Pop Century and 1/2 at the AKL, we loved it. It really made driving around easier. We did likely spend more on food, but took a lot of the tips here into consideration to limit our food spending. We also still bought snacks/breakfast for our room. We also, still drove our own car to the parks everyday, when you stay on site parking is free. It was nice to be able to charge things to our room as well. ON this trip there were only 5 of us. My kids loved it.


We hope to go back once more in the next year or so and will be staying on site as well.

We didn't have a bad time either way though.

 

[mickeystoontown]

First of all, let me say we went to WDW 10 times before deciding to spend the extra money and stay onsite. We had a great time when we stayed offsite. We were right on the West Irlo Bronson Highway strip in Kissimmee and the drive was just 10 minutes from WDW.

But....for our 11th trip, we decided to spend the extra money and stay at the CBR. Our trip was amazing! From the minute you check in until the minute you check out, you are immersed in everything Disney.

We drove our car just once. Never had to get in it again for the entire 10 day trip. The bus system works very efficiently and it's great to let somebody else worry about traffic.

When you stay onsite, you don't have to pay to park at yourt resort or at the theme parks. I think I remembered that it was now $10.00 per day to park. I don't really know since we haven't had to pay it for the past two years! Those parking fees really add up.

When we stayed offsite, I NEVER relied on the shuttle services. There was ALWAYS a huge line waiting for the shuttle service. I also heard grumbling about how bad it was.

You might want to look into a stay at a moderate resort. The moderate resorts have no additional charge for a refrigerator. We used our refrigerator a lot and it saved us some money because we were able to store colas, milk, water, etc. To rent a refrigerator at the values was $10.00 and I think I read that they went up to $12.00.

In all honesty, you're gonna love WDW so much you really won't be wanting to cook ANY meals. There's so much to see and to and who wants to cook.....you're on vacation.

Hope this helps, Lisa

 

[metsno1]

I'd stay offsite if I were planning to do Universal/Sea World/Kennedy/The Beach/etc.

But if it were entirely a Disney trip, I can't imagine any reason that I'd stay offsite. I'll grant you that the up front cost for the rooms is more, but IMHO, it's more than made up for by the proximity to the Parks, not having to rent a car and drive myself, not paying for parking, etc.

And I agree with a previous poster, when you stay onsite, you're immersed in all things Disney from the moment you land.....

Have a great trip either way!!

 

[DISshopkeeper]

Stick with on-site, you won't be sorry!

 

[Youarehere]

I have done both and would choose to stay onsite whenever possible. Depending on your plans, you don't need a car if you stay onsite. You can leave the real world behind and be totally surrounded by Disney... no driving or anything. I know even when we stayed offsite we ended up eating in the parks. We never wanted to trek through the park, throught the parking lot, drive the car back to the hotel, cook meal, eat, clean up, go back. We are also poor planners and cannot stick to a schedule, so YMMV. I say stay onsite and get the meal plan if possible, then don't worry about anything. If you do choose offsite then I would drive to the parks. I have not used the offsite resort shuttles in a long time, but they were terrible last time I did- we ended up taking a taxi home one night because the shuttles stopped running so early and the parks were open late- so make sure you check this out before you plan on using them. Also- if you are the partying types and plan on PI or BATW it is nice to not have to worry about driving anywhere after.
There are several nice and less expensive non-Disney resorts right across the street from DTD. You can just walk across the street and you are in DTD and you can hop on any Disney transport from there as long as you purchased park hoppper tickets. This might be a happy medium. Maybe someone else has more info on those resorts. You would just need to arrange a car from MCO to DTD.

 

[dizneyluv]

This is our first trip to WDW and heard to stay onsite so I booked at ASMO. I then started looking at offsite condos with so much room and space and my question is for those of you that have stayed onsite and offsite which is better how did your budget differ if you switched locations (sleeping arrangements)? How are the shuttle rides from condos comparable to Disney shuttles? Or is it better to drive and pay to park at Disney?

Is the price better to stay offsite and cook your meals and do the occassional restaurant at Disney or is onsite and the DP the only way to go?

Thanks in advance!

We have done both. True that offsite you get more space for the money. It was a very nice villa about 5 mins from the back gate.

However after staying onsite for the first time at All Star Movies last September we will never stay offsite again.

We turned into Disney nuts the first trip, the 2nd trip on site confirmed it.

I think the icons and theming at ASMo summarizes Disney wonderfully for kids. The music, the posters hanging up, the icons, food court, pools. Wonderful!

The only way to know for sure what you prefer is to try an onsite visit.

Take Care!

 

[NCTWINSMOM]

I feel better already knowing that I booked onsite after reading your responses. It sounds like my girls can experience more magic this way! Thanks for the quick replies and your knowledge of Disney...it's helping a newbie in a big way!

 

[nikjd68]

1. Magical Express

2. Extra Magic Hours

3. Free parking at the parks

4. Resort delivery for everything you buy at the parks.

5. Much easier to go back to the hotel for a midday rest and swim.

 

[Disney Fool]

I've done both also. If you've got a great deal on a condo, it's fine. BUT, IMHO, the problem I've discovered is that once you leave the parks, you rarely go back. You get too settled in the condo and don't want to go back. Therefore, if the parks are open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and you leave for a break, you probably will opt for not returning. All the hassle of parking again, and the drive back will deter you, especially when it's hot outside. I found on my few trips off-site that this was irritating due to the plans we made for the evenings, and we never quite made it back for one reason or another. Another thing to consider when staying off-site: if one member of your party has to leave due to illness, or tiredness, you all have to leave. If you're staying on-site, one adult can leave with ill child, or family member can leave on their own and rest, while the rest of the family can enjoy the parks. Staying on-site does give you freedom in this instance. Just something to think about. Disney would love for you to stay on-site, so they make it very, very tantalizing to book their resorts. Yes, they are more $$$ than a condo;so do your homework and choose wisely.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

DH and I have stayed both onsite and offsite. Once we stayed onsite, though, we've never wanted to stay offsite again!

The onsite transportation is wonderful. Even though we drive to Disney (we're just a couple of hours away), we just basically park our car and never get in it again until we have to drive home. We take Disney transportation everywhere.

The shuttle service offsite is horrible. We used it once, for the Downtown Disney Hotels, and while they are supposed to have the best OFFSITE shuttle service, we would never do it again. Very few shuttles, they didn't keep to their posted schedule, and we experienced long waits.

DH and I also love the convenience of having a food court close by. We bring bottled water and some snacks, but we eat all our meals onsite. We don't have children so it might be different for you--you might want to rent a refrigerator (or join one of the refrigerator swaps) at ASMo to have milk and cereal for your children.

You guys will be completely immersed in the magic by staying onsite--you and your children will love the theming EVERYWHERE, the food court, the gift shop, the arcade, and the pools. It really is magical!

 

[DISNEYNY]

I have done both also and much prefer to stay onsite at WDW. If you are doing Disney only I would not even consider offsite. We just returned from WDW yesterday. The Magical express took us to and from the airport. We used Disney transportation the entire time and it was great. No need to rent a car. We were lucky enough to get in on the free dining plan that they offered back in April so that saved us a ton of money. We stayed at ASMO last year and we loved it. The only complaint I would have is that the beds seem a little small. Other then that we loved everything about ASMO.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

I have done both but 90% of my visits have been onsite, I hated offsite and would never do it again. On site is a totally different experience.

I will say that if off site was my only option, I would stay home.